In the fierce competition of the streaming market, Netflix—as a major player, and other streaming services and movie studios continue to remain relevant despite the growing popularity of YouTube. This suggests that they’re doing something very smart to keep viewers captivated.
In this article, we will dive into what filmmakers know more than anyone else about viewer engagement. One point that stood out is the thoughtful approach writers bring to their scripts, carefully crafting narratives that truly engage the viewer. Here are three examples.
The Game of Blackjack as a Theme
People love playing games, but they also enjoy watching others play, because it offers a chance to observe from the outside and even learn new skills, especially when the games are strategic. What we’ve noticed is that, when creating successful plots centered around strategy and games, Hollywood often chooses games that are inherently strategic by nature. Classic casino games like blackjack are perfect for building compelling narratives, as they already come with built-in strategic concepts, so to speak.
A prime example is 21 (2008), a film entirely centered on blackjack strategy and inspired by the real MIT card-counting team. 21 became a box-office hit – debuting at #1 and ultimately grossing over $150 million worldwide, showing that audiences were riveted by its tale of brilliant students using math to outwit Las Vegas.
These stories are captivating partially thanks to the growing interest in online casino gaming. Those who play blackjack real money games, will more than welcome stories that tell about blackjack, or people who are pro players, and so on.
From the directors’ perspectives, Blackjack is perfect to portray because the audience instantly grasps the stakes – a calm dealer facing off against players, every hit or stand a potentially fateful decision. This inherent drama has led to numerous films weaving blackjack into their stories, from Rain Man to The Last Casino, often focusing on characters trying to beat the odds through skillful play.
True Crime’s Unshakable Grip
Netflix has fully jumped on the true-crime trend. One standout example is Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness — a crazy docuseries that quickly went viral. In just its first 10 days, it drew 34.3 million viewers in the U.S. This wasn’t a one-time success. Netflix had already seen big interest in true crime with Making a Murderer, which averaged 19.3 million U.S. viewers per episode in its first five weeks.
The “unshakable grip” of true crime on viewers explains why such series often shoot to the top of Netflix’s trending list. It’s not that Netflix inherently favors crime shows for some secret reason – it’s that we the viewers do, and Netflix is simply giving us more of what we’re already drawn to.
Why Sports Docuseries Keep Winning
Lastly, Netflix has discovered that sports documentaries are a championship genre in streaming. At first glance, you might think live sports belong on cable TV, not in on-demand documentaries. But Netflix’s experience shows that behind-the-scenes sports stories widely succeed by focusing on personal drama. Let’s talk about Formula 1: Drive to Survive, which takes viewers into the high-speed world of Formula 1 racing.
By dramatizing rivalries and pressure off the track, it hooked even those who weren’t motorsport fans. The impact has been striking – a 2022 survey found 53% of new US F1 fans credited Drive to Survive as a reason they became F1 viewers. In other words, the storytelling was so compelling that it created millions of new sports fans. For Netflix, it’s not just about fandom but also business: Drive to Survive has delivered an estimated $290 million in global streaming revenue over five years.
That success paved the way for more hits like The Last Dance (chronicling Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls) and other sports docuseries about tennis, golf, and beyond. The formula here isn’t complicated – great narratives are universal, whether the arena is a Las Vegas casino, a crime scene, or a racetrack. Netflix loves sports documentaries because they keep winning viewers’ attention by combining competitive stakes with relatable human stories.
Trend/Genre
Netflix Example
Notable Viewership/Impact
High-Stakes Games
Squid Game (2021)
1.65 billion hours watched in 4 weeks (Netflix’s biggest series launch)
True Crime Docuseries
Tiger King (2020)
34 million US viewers in 10 days (one of Netflix’s top hits)
Sports Documentary
Drive to Survive (2019–)
53% of new F1 fans cite it as their inspiration (cultural phenomenon)
In the end, what Netflix really follows is what audiences enjoy. Its popular shows aren’t shaped by some secret algorithm, but by classic storytelling themes that have always worked — like big risks, unbelievable true crimes, and inspiring sports stories. Netflix just packages them in a modern, binge-friendly way.
By looking at these patterns, we can see there’s no mystery formula — Netflix simply leans into the kinds of shows people love to watch and talk about. So next time you’re hooked on a Netflix series, see if it includes a bold gamble, a shocking true story, or a dramatic contest. Chances are, it does — and now you know why.
